Dublin Downtown Smartphone Guided GPS Audio Walking Tour

About This Tour

For €8, you get a GPS-guided audio tour of historic Dublin that you can start whenever you like, go at whatever pace suits you, and come back to any time - the tour never expires. Everything takes place outdoors, guided through an app on your smartphone.

The tour starts beside the James Joyce Statue at the Dublin Portal and takes you through the streets and stories of the city - from James Joyce himself to the 1913 Dublin Lockout, Catholic Emancipation, the Palace Bar’s literary history, Viking Dublin, Trinity College, Molly Malone, City Hall and more. The audio plays as you walk, triggered by your GPS location, so you don’t need to fiddle with anything - just follow where it leads.

It’s a good option if you want to explore the city independently but with proper context and history along the way, rather than just wandering.

What’s Included

• GPS-navigated, location-aware audio tour on the walking tour app
• Self-paced, never expires, all outdoors
• Available in English

What’s Not Included

• Food, drinks, or admission fees
• In-person guide

Itinerary

The tour starts at the James Joyce Statue at the Dublin Portal and covers approximately 2-3 hours of walking at a comfortable pace.

1. James Joyce Statue, Dublin Portal - The starting point. You’ll hear about Joyce’s life, stories and connection to Dublin before being guided step by step through the city. (5 min)
2. Jim Larkin Statue - A tribute to the man who led the 1913 Dublin Lockout, fighting for the rights of unskilled workers to organise in unions. (5 min)
3. Sir John Gray Statue - Physician, journalist and politician who made a significant mark on Dublin. The statue was erected in 1879, shortly after his death. (5 min)
4. Daniel O’Connell - The leader whose fight for Ireland’s Catholic majority led to the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 - a landmark moment for religious freedom in Ireland. (5 min)
5. The Palace Bar - A Victorian pub that has been running since 1823. In the 1940s and 1950s it was the regular haunt of Irish Times staff, including its editor R.M. Smyllie - a real piece of Dublin’s literary and press history. (5 min)
6. Historic stops along the route - The tour passes several more significant sites along the way, with audio at each. (varies)
7. Trinity College - Stop outside the historic university and learn its story and what’s behind the famous statue at its entrance. (10 min)
8. Molly Malone Statue - Her story and the folklore around her, right where the statue stands. (10 min)
9. College Green - A three-sided plaza at the heart of Dublin. On one side, the Bank of Ireland building - Ireland’s Parliament House until 1800. Trinity College to the east. Several 19th-century buildings to the south. (10 min)
10. Additional stops - Including sites with Viking history, Four Courts and more. (varies)
11. City Hall - The tour ends here at the historic City Hall, where you’ll hear about the events and revolutions that played out on its steps. (pass by)

Meeting point: Start at the James Joyce Statue at the Dublin Portal.

Good to Know

• Tour conducted in English
• Service animals are welcome
• Suitable for all fitness levels
• Public transport is available nearby
• No food, drink, admissions or in-person guide - everything is on the app and outdoors

Local Tips

Download the app before you leave your accommodation. It sounds obvious but it’s worth doing while you have reliable Wi-Fi. Getting the app set up, the tour loaded, and your GPS working before you head out means you can start immediately at the James Joyce Statue without any faffing around on the street. It only takes a few minutes, and it makes the whole thing smoother.

The Palace Bar is one of the highlights, and it’s worth going inside when you get there. The audio covers its history as a haunt of Irish Times journalists and its editor R.M. Smyllie in the 1940s and 1950s, but the pub itself is still very much alive. It’s one of the most genuine Victorian pubs left in Dublin - dark wood, good atmosphere, and walls that feel like they’ve absorbed several decades of conversation. If you’re passing at a reasonable hour, step in.

The tour never expires, which actually changes how you use it. You can walk half of it, stop for lunch, and pick up again afterwards. Or come back the next day to the spots you didn’t quite have time for. It’s the kind of flexibility that a live guided tour can’t offer, and it’s particularly useful if the weather turns or something else pulls your attention for a while.

College Green and the Bank of Ireland building are easy to underestimate. The Bank of Ireland building served as the Irish Parliament House until 1800, when the Act of Union transferred legislative power to Westminster. The audio covers this, but it’s worth reading a little about it in advance - the building’s story cuts right to the heart of Dublin’s complicated political history, and the more context you have, the more the stop lands.

This route pairs well with a stop at the Chester Beatty Library near Dublin Castle. The library isn’t on the audio tour, but it’s free to enter, it’s one of the finest collections of manuscripts and art in Europe, and it sits right on the path you’ll walk. If the tour has got you curious about history and you’ve got energy left, it’s an obvious next step.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• Dublin City GPS App Walking Tour Mobile Game
• Discover Dynamic Dublin Self-Guided Audio Tour
• A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Dublin’s Temple Bar